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Local prices dropped a few pence over the last few days though. Not sure exactly how much because the stations don't display the price for premium.

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The models and equipment (standard and optional) illustrated in this post reflect my misunderstanding of vehicles supplied by BMW AG to the German market. In other EU member states, the truthyness of my posts may vary. Please ignore this post. Subject to change.

Local prices dropped a few pence over the last few days though. Not sure exactly how much because the stations don't display the price for premium.

Rip off if you ask me. That's like $144 to fill up an M3. Oh my.. Two fill ups is the same price of a round trip ticket to Hong Kong and back from Taiwan which is about 1000 miles round trip. If I were in England I would be using an electric scooter to get around town

If I were in England I would be using an electric scooter to get around town

I'm waiting for the i3. We drive about 40-50 miles a day and mostly on country roads. A car with a real 80+ mile range would work for us.

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The models and equipment (standard and optional) illustrated in this post reflect my misunderstanding of vehicles supplied by BMW AG to the German market. In other EU member states, the truthyness of my posts may vary. Please ignore this post. Subject to change.

Gov. Jerry Brown intervened in the unrelenting climb of gasoline prices by calling for the immediate release of a cheaper, but less environmentally friendly, blend of gasoline.

Brown directed the California Air Resources Board on Sunday to permit oil companies to start selling winter-blend gasoline, which evaporates more quickly in warm weather than the summer blend. Normally, winter blend isn't permitted to be released until Oct. 31.

Quote:

Analysts attributed the sudden rise in gasoline prices in California to refinery and pipeline setbacks. The most immediate problem was the shutdown of the Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery in Torrance on Oct. 1 because of a power failure. It didn't resume production until Friday.

Also, a key refinery in Northern California was forced to reduce production in August after a major fire.

The refinery problems came while suppliers were selling the last of their summer-blend fuel in anticipation of the scheduled release of winter gasoline, which is cheaper to produce because it contains additives.

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The models and equipment (standard and optional) illustrated in this post reflect my misunderstanding of vehicles supplied by BMW AG to the German market. In other EU member states, the truthyness of my posts may vary. Please ignore this post. Subject to change.

Probably a local refining or distribution problem. At the same time CA prices went up 20 cents, UK prices went down a few pence.

Isn't this about when some smog districts change their fuel requirements? I haven't lived in CA in years, but around now refineries used to shut down for a few days to change the formulation. Couple that with a pipeline break, a refinery fire, and a little market speculation . . .

California has a winter blend and summer blend of gas due to its emissions laws. The winter blend cannot be sold before Halloween.

A chevron refinery went down in August. It is back up now but they saw its a gas shortage.

A shell refinery lost power last Monday. It was restored to full operations on Friday.

Governor Brown declared a state of emergency or something and told refineries to immediately start using the winter blend.

Now I'm not that trusting of what Big Oil tells us. I wouldn't put it past them to be doing this due to the upcoming election.

The USA tends to commute twice the distances to work as any other western country as well, thus the higher usage.

I'm fully aware of that and accept it. Well 20-30 % lower prises would of course be nice since I both enjoy driving, own two boats and fly helicopter regulary. But on the other hand we get a lot for the fuel taxes we pay in terms of exellent public transportation, good roads, funds for research in alternative fuels (remember Sweden is to 100 % dependent on foreign oil) so we can lower our usage of oil etc.

And because the average Swede drive much less then the average American we don't have higher costs for comuting. I used to live in the US for a year and remember how totaly different culture that you have where living without a car just wasn't an alternative. So I understand the outrage over fuel prices that is taking place in the US at the moment.

The models and equipment (standard and optional) illustrated in this post reflect my misunderstanding of vehicles supplied by BMW AG to the German market. In other EU member states, the truthyness of my posts may vary. Please ignore this post. Subject to change.

You reap what you sow. California has always had this NIMBY attitude about the energy industry from production to refining to distribution. Now that one domino falls, prices go up. The granola head solution to this problem is to blame business rather than look in the mirror.

Here's $88 of truth for you. Not a single facility in California refines West Texas Intermediate, so quoting that price doesn't mean a damned thing.

Actually, it does mean a damned thing. The price/cost of the crudes that California refineries process is almost certainly based on the market price of WTI or Brent. That is just how the contracts are structured.

Actually, it does mean a damned thing. The price/cost of the crudes that California refineries process is almost certainly based on the market price of WTI or Brent. That is just how the contracts are structured.

No CA requires the gas stations to sell "special" blends of gas that are only made in CA. So when there is a refinery fire or something else that shuts down a couple of refineries there is a supply shortage... and the prices shoot up.

No, I did not say that, did I? Every crude has its own individual price. WTI or Brent is just the starting point for making the adjustments under the contract to arrive at the final price. Most refineries process many different crudes from many locations, each with its individual price.